Combine kicks off draft season this week

Draft-eligible players begin arriving Wednesday in Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine. The NFL draft is two months away.

I’ll be heading to the combine tomorrow, and will have full coverage from there for four days, beginning Thursday.

I go there with an open mind, but with some thoughts on certain players . . . such as:

–QB Sam Bradford: Seems like a risky pick to select a QB high in the first round from a spread offense who is stil recovering from surgery on a separated throwing shoulder.

–QB Jimmy Clausen: My first experience watching him was as the highest-rated prep QB. He came out for the 2006 small-schools California high school championship game and began taunting the Cardinal Newman sideline. I remember thinking, “Shouldn’t a player of his caliber handle himself little better?” He threw three interceptions and his heavily favored Oaks Christian squad eked out an overtime victory. In the lead-up to the combine, I’ve heard draftniks compare his temperament to J.P. Losman. (That’s not a compliment.) The interview process will be important for him.

—QB Tim Tebow: I just don’t understand. He knew a year ago he had major mechanical flaws that would keep him from being a QB at the next level. He had all last offseason before his senior year at Florida to work on those issues. So what does he do? He waits until two months before the draft – and after a less-than impressive showing in the Senior Bowl – to begin retooling his throwing motion. That just seems odd. (By the way, here’s what I wrote on Twitter about Tebow on Jan. 1.)

—RB Jahvid Best: Hopefully his days of leaping at the goal line are over. I still can’t get that image out of my mind. And you know teams are concerned, too.

–RB C.J. Spiller: I’m hearing he’s a more NFL-ready version of Reggie Bush. I’d hope so. Bush is just a role player.

—RB Dexter McCluster: Anyone who wants a specialty back/return man will be interested in this waterbug. The question is, at his size, is he worth a second-round pick?

—RB Toby Gerhart: After the Heisman season, he has fallen off the face of the earth. Nobody is talking about him. Why is that? I’ll ask around about him in Indianapolis.

—OT Trent Williams: He was strong at right tackle a year ago, but struggled on the left side this past season. Who is the real Trent Williams?

—OT Bruce Campbell: I’m hearing he will turn heads at the combine with his physique and athleticism.

—OG Mike Iupati: When the top tackles fly off the board, he how will it take for a team to grab him? Many believe he has the feet to step in and be a darn good right tackle.

–OLB Koa Misi: I’ll be doing a daily notebook with him, beginning Friday when he reports to Indianapolis with the defensive linemen. He’s a former Montgomery High and Santa Rosa JC standout who helped himself with a strong showing at the Senior Bowl. He’s an intriguing prospect, cut a little from the Clay Matthews mold. He has tremendous versatility.

—CB Javier Arenas: His man coverage skills aren’t the best in this class, but he has strong attributes as a return man. That warrants consideration for some teams.

–S Taylor Mays: He seems to be very popular among a percentage of 49ers fan for a guy who made so few plays throughout his USC career. He’ll post fantastic combine numbers. At this point, my best comparison that 49ers fans might remember is Dana Hall.

Those are just some of my thoughts. I’ll have four days to share many of other observations.

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Please pass along the players you wish to read more about while I’m in Indianapolis. I’ll try my best to accommodate.

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Here is a list of the players invited to the scouting combine (*-denotes players who were granted early entry into the draft):